Passau/DE, Cathedral of St. Stephan
Re-organization of the world-famous Cathedral Organ
The Passau Cathedral Organ will be completely rebuilt during the next 5 years by the workshops of Klais/Bonn and Schuke/Berlin in cooperation with Eisenbarth/Passau and Casavant Frères/Canada. The new tonal concept, which is to be implemented in the course of the renovation, will add sonority and tonal foundation.
Over the past decades, an urgent need for action developed in the several areas: fire protection, statics, dust accumulation, mold and woodworm infestation require major work on the organ. […]
The new tonal concept is a synthesis of Steinmeyer 1928 and the Neo-Baroque rebuild by Eisenbarth in 1980, with the addition of the American-inspire Solo division. The foundation stops of the Steinmeyer organ, which were lost in 1980, will be re-instated to provide for a wider sonority and more tonal support. The existing stops will be reorganized under the aspects of liturgical use and artistically optimized sound.
The new Solo division (divided into three parts: gallery organ and two dome locations on the transept galleries) as well as a small choir accompaniment division in the lower case of the Gallery Organ will be moderate additions. The Solo division is designed to bring the sound of the organ forward into the dome and choir area of the cathedral and to meet requirements of the demanding room acoustics of the cathedral.
The mechanical action of the main organ together with the current mechanical console in the base of the Gallery Organ will be eliminated; the Epistle Organ will entirely new inside its existing case, to corresp to the Gospel Organ as a German-romantic swell division based on the tonal aesthetics of Steinmeyer 1928 (and the original Steinmeyer Epistle organ). The other sections of the instrument (Fernwerk, Choir Organ) will be renovated and technically modernized.
The Gallery Organ is to be reorganized in construction and pipe lineup. It is important to retain as many pipes and parts of the existing instrument as possible.
A second mobile console will be set up for all organ sections in the presbytery – featuring the same layout as the general conosle on the west gallery, which will be refurbished.
The Choir Organ remains playable mechanically; the console as well as the mechanical actions are revised (drawstops instead of tilting tablets, setter combination system, octave couplers).
The exact specification, number of stops, number of pipes and other details can only be published at the inauguration of the organ, as details may change during the construction period.
l. to r.: consultant Ekkehard Fehl, cathedral organist Ludwig Ruckdeschel, Dean Dr. Michael Bär, Philipp Klais (Orgelbau Klais), Bishop Dr. Stefan Oster SDB, Martin Schwarz (Karl Schuke Berliner Orgelbau), Director of Finance Dr. Josef Sonnleitner, Rudi Bauer (Orgelbau Eisenbarth), Agathe Eisenbarth (Orgelbau Eisenbarth)
The technical and tonal concept was developed by a special committee, active since 2011. The planning and execution will be accompanied by consultant Ekkehard Fehl and the Cathedral Organ Committee coordinated by Cathedral Organist Ludwig Ruckdeschel in cooperation with the organ builders and the Buildings Department of the diocese of Passau.
The overall management of the organ project is incumbent on the Dean Msgr. Michael Baer.
(Text: Cathedral Organist Ludwig Ruckdeschel)